Category: Blaze Media
‘Whack-a-mole’: FBI allegedly fires, rehires, then refires agents linked to Jack Smith’s anti-GOP Arctic Frost crusade
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) published damning documents last month detailing how the Biden FBI not only secretly obtained the private phone records of numerous Republican lawmakers but subpoenaed records for over 400 Republican individuals and entities as part of what the Iowa senator called a “fishing expedition.”
Grassley noted last week that Operation Arctic Frost, the “fishing expedition” in question, “was the vehicle by which partisan FBI agents and DOJ prosecutors could improperly investigate the entire Republican political apparatus.”
‘The road to reform is long.’
Amid the backlash over the latest insights into the Biden administration’s yearslong apparent campaign to criminalize its political opponents, the FBI began canning some of the agents involved in Arctic Frost whose names appeared in the newly released documents. While the bureau handed out numerous pink slips in recent days, it evidently had issues making them stick.
Last week, the FBI reportedly fired at least two agents who had worked on the Arctic Frost investigation.
CNN originally reported that Aaron Tapp, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio office who previously had an oversight role on Arctic Frost, was among those fired, though it has since indicated that he was forced into retiring.
RELATED: Bondi exposes ‘UNPRECEDENTED’ Arctic Frost action against Trump by Biden admin
Jack Smith. Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images
On Monday, the bureau allegedly canned another four agents who worked on Smith’s team: Jeremy Desor; Blaire Toleman, a Chicago-based agent who once led a now-defunct public corruption squad; David Geist, a former assistant special agent in charge of the bureau’s Washington field office; and Jamie Garman, an agent who was placed on administrative leave early last month, reported Reuters.
“The public has a right to know how the government’s spending their hard-earned tax dollars, and if agents were engaged in wrongdoing they ought to be held accountable,” Sen. Grassley said in a statement. “Transparency brings accountability.”
Multiple sources told Reuters that at least two of the terminations — Toleman’s and Geist’s — were rescinded later in the day, along with a number of other terminations that allegedly took place on Monday.
Sources familiar with the matter told CNN that Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, had intervened on Monday to reverse the firings of least four fired FBI agents. One source said she weighed in on account of the agents’ involvement in the Trump administration’s crackdown on criminality in the national capital.
This last-minute rescue was, however, apparently as short-lived as the initial terminations. The FBI reportedly fired the agents again on Tuesday.
It’s presently unclear how many agents were officially canned.
The FBI and Pirro’s office did not immediately respond to Blaze News’ request for comment.
The FBI Agents Association complained in a statement on Tuesday that “the actions yesterday — in which FBI Special Agents were terminated and then reinstated shortly after — highlight the chaos that occurs when long-standing policies and processes are ignored. An Agent simply being assigned to an investigation and conducting it appropriately within the law should never be grounds for termination.”
“Director Patel has disregarded the law and launched a campaign of erratic and arbitrary retribution,” added the group.
Mike Howell, president of the Oversight Project, told Blaze News, “Individual accountability for participation in or oversight of weaponized operations such as Arctic Frost should absolutely be imposed. I’m glad some have been fired for this, and I am sure they will sue and be well represented.”
“The personnel laws are very restrictive to accountability, which certainly makes accountability harder, especially when considering termination versus reassignment,” continued Howell. “That being said, you can’t have weaponized individuals still at the FBI, that just should not ever be an acceptable option. The road to reform is long.”
Howell added, “I’d like to see more thought given to systemic reform at the FBI so it can’t operate institutionally as it did during the Biden years especially. Whack-a-mole on weaponized individuals is tough work, but the FBI and government should also mitigate the potential for them to abuse power again.”
Editor’s note: Mike Howell is a contributor at Blaze News.
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Video appears to show possibly drunken man trying to grope and kiss Mexican president in public
The apparent harassment of the Mexican president by a seemingly drunken man has led to a national conversation about the harassment women face on a daily basis.
President Claudia Sheinbaum was taking a five-minute walk on her way to the Education Ministry when a man approached her from behind, grabbed her, apparently attempted to cup her breasts over her clothes, and tried to kiss her, video showed.
‘If the most powerful woman in Mexico experienced harassment, what can women who travel on public transportation or walk alone every day expect?’
The man was brushed away by someone near the president, and the bizarre incident was captured on video by bystanders. Sheinbaum said in her daily media briefing that she was pressing charges against the man in order to show other Mexican women that the harassment was not acceptable.
“I decided to file a complaint because this is something … all women in our country experience,” Sheinbaum said. “I experienced it before, when I wasn’t president. It shouldn’t happen. No one should violate our personal space. No man has the right to violate that space.”
Others jumped on the incident to call for more action against public harassment.
“If the most powerful woman in Mexico experienced harassment, what can women who travel on public transportation or walk alone every day expect?” asked Ivonne Ortega, a member of Congress. “This is the reality that millions of women and girls face daily.”
RELATED: Mexico hands over 26 high-ranking alleged drug cartel figures to US for prosecution
One survey of female transit riders from several nations found that Mexico had the worst reported rate of public harassment.
Some critics of the president speculated that the incident was orchestrated in order to draw attention away from the horrific assassination of the mayor of Uruapan, Michoácan, seemingly at the hands of the drug cartels.
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Poll: Majority Of Americans Want Prosecutions In Biden Autopen Scandal
So far, there’s been no rush to accountability — from congressional Republicans or at Attorney General Pam Bondi’s DOJ.
After HS hallway bump, Florida 15-year-old to be tried as an adult for allegedly shooting 16-year-old dead
A 15-year-old Florida male is being charged as an adult after officials said he fatally shot a 16-year-old male last month.
Jacori Antonio Redding was charged with manslaughter with a weapon, for which he received no bond, Friday’s arrest affidavit said. He also was charged with possession of a firearm on school property, for which he received a $10,000 bond, as well as possession of a firearm by a minor, for which he received a $1,000 bond, the affidavit also said.
‘I’m angry that something as small as bumping into someone in the halls of a high school can result in a shooting death.’
A judge issued an order for Redding to be transferred from the custody of the Department of Juvenile Justice to the custody of the Orange County Jail, according to the affidavit. Redding was booked into jail Friday, according to jail records.
The affidavit also said Redding is to be charged as an adult on the listed charges by the Orange County State Attorney’s Office.
It all erupted Oct. 9, police said — after a bump in a high school hallway.
Witnesses said that earlier in the day, Redding bumped into 16-year-old Pinien Dalmacy at Oak Ridge High School in Orlando, according to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
Dalmacy told Redding to apologize, officials said, and Redding would not. So the two sophomores agreed to fight after school at Vogt-Meloon Park on West Oak Ridge Road, officials said.
The sheriff’s office said deputies responded to a shooting on the basketball court at the park and found Dalmacy, who was shot twice.
Monique H. Worrell, state attorney of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, said Redding killed Dalmacy using a gun, court documents said.
The sheriff’s office said Redding ran back to the high school after the shooting, and a deputy who coordinated with school officials secured Redding in the school cafeteria. Officials said the gun was found in his bag, Redding was arrested, and a juvenile custody order was obtained for manslaughter with a firearm and possession of a firearm on school property.
Below is a video report dated Oct. 10, the day after the fatal shooting:
WFTV-TV’s video report added that it wasn’t Redding’s first time in a courtroom and that he already was facing a trial for grand theft auto.
“My heart aches for Pinien’s family, who are grieving this unimaginable loss,” Sheriff John Mina said. “And I’m angry that something as small as bumping into someone in the halls of a high school can result in a shooting death.”
The sheriff’s office said, “Detectives know there were witnesses to this shooting and that there may be video out there that could be helpful to the investigation. We are asking anyone with that kind of information to contact ocsoinfo@ocsofl.com.”
Redding on Tuesday pleaded not guilty, court records indicate. Redding’s in-jail arraignment is scheduled for Nov. 10; his hearing is scheduled for Nov. 12, court records say.
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The Associated Press is getting obliterated online for shaming pet owners over climate change
Pet owners are demolishing the Associated Press after the outlet published a video suggesting that pets make climate change worse.
The video, posted to social media, said that pets worsen climate change by needing food with high meat content. The video also recommended that people seeking to own a pet avoid breeders and instead adopt pets without owners.
‘From the people who brought you “you will all eat bugs,” comes “sacrifice your pets for climate change.”‘
“Pets have a pretty sizable climate impact. But not all carbon…pawprints…are created equal. So if you’re looking to get a pet, which ones emit the least?” read the post from AP.
“And if you’ve already got one, how do you make sure it has the smallest foot (or paw) print?” it added. “There are some options.”
The video quickly garnered over 2.3 million views, many from angry pet owners and others who told the AP where it could stuff the suggestions.
“None of this matters in the slightest. It’s all silliness. The countries that worry about it will become poor, the ones that don’t will not,” responded Charles Cooke of National Review.
“We at the AP have decided life isn’t unpleasant enough. Here’s another way you can make it worse,” replied writer Jon Gabriel.
“If I tried for forty years…better yet if God made me immortal and I spent eternity…an entire eternity with no other mission…I would not be able to care less about my pet’s carbon footprint,” responded influencer Chance McClain.
“You have to be mentally deficient to base the choice of your next pet on whatever this article has to say,” said showrunner Joseph Mallozzi.
“Whenever you think you are depressed and useless, just remember there is someone at AP that researched and approved this article,” read another reply.
“From the people who brought you ‘you will all eat bugs,’ comes ‘sacrifice your pets for climate change,'” responded writer Drew Holden.
RELATED: Trump declares victory on ‘climate change hoax’ after Bill Gates issues concession memo
Others were more curt in their responses.
“I have a proposal for you on this: Go f**k yourself,” read one popular reply.
In a memo released in October, billionaire Bill Gates appeared to concede that the effort to thwart climate change directly was failing. He said that world governments should instead dedicate their efforts toward mitigating the negative effects of climate change on at-risk populations.
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Bitcoin and the return of honest money
Bitcoin. Cryptocurrency. Blockchain. A decade ago, most Americans hadn’t heard those words. Even now, many don’t fully grasp what they mean. Some still dismiss Bitcoin as an internet fad — yet with one coin worth roughly $119,000, the joke is wearing thin.
The real story isn’t the price. It’s what Bitcoin represents: freedom, trust, and control over your own money. Those are conservative principles — and conservatives should embrace them.
Honest money for a dishonest age
In Denton County, Texans understand independence. We work hard, save what we can, and expect our money to keep its value. But Washington keeps printing dollars to solve political problems, and every new round of “stimulus” steals a little more of what Americans earn. That’s a big reason groceries, gas, and housing cost so much more today.
At its heart, Bitcoin isn’t about tech or speculation. It’s about trust — and keeping financial power in the hands of citizens instead of bureaucrats and corporations.
Bitcoin doesn’t play that game. Its supply is capped at 21 million coins forever. No bureaucrat or central banker can “stimulate” the economy by diluting your savings. It’s steady, transparent, and immune to the inflationary habits of modern government.
That’s not radical — it’s a return to honest value. Early Texans traded cattle, crops, and tools, and a handshake sealed the deal. Bitcoin is a digital version of that same trust: value backed by proof of work, not political decree.
Freedom in your own hands
Bitcoin is, at its core, a conservative idea. It rewards effort, limits government control, and protects personal liberty. You can own every rifle and round of ammunition in the world, but if the government freezes your bank account, you’re stuck. With Bitcoin, you control your money. Nobody can seize it.
The network itself is decentralized — millions of computers around the globe share the ledger. No single government, company, or regulator can shut it down. If one node fails, the others keep the system alive. It’s built to endure.
Lessons for a digital age
That model should guide how we build other technologies. Take artificial intelligence. Meta just poured $14 billion into one massive data center — a single point of failure. One cyberattack or natural disaster could wipe it out. America should follow Bitcoin’s example: distribute computing power, build smaller centers across the country, and bring skilled jobs to local communities like ours.
RELATED: ‘Lipstick on a pig’: How printing cash is destroying America — and crypto could be next
dem10 via iStock/Getty Images
Bitcoin also saves money. Send $1,000 through a credit card processor and you’ll lose $40 in fees. Send it through Bitcoin and it costs about four cents. That difference matters to small businesses, churches, and local campaigns. Political donations in Bitcoin should be legal nationwide — transparent, secure, and independent of the big banks that profit from the current system.
A return to honest value
At its heart, Bitcoin isn’t about tech or speculation. It’s about trust — and keeping financial power in the hands of citizens instead of bureaucrats and corporations.
Here in Denton County, we understand that kind of freedom. It’s the same spirit that settled Texas: work hard, hold what’s yours, and keep government out of your pockets.
Bitcoin isn’t the future of money. It’s the return of honest money — and conservatives should lead the charge to make it America’s next great success story.
‘I am illegal’: Leftist who made shocking confession wins mayoral race in Minnesota
A Minnesota state representative who once confessed to her own apparently unlawful entry into the United States won the St. Paul mayoral race on Tuesday.
It was later revealed that Her’s ‘uncle’ was actually not a familial relative but a family friend.
Rep. Kaohly Vang Her (DFL) secured an over-two-point victory over incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter (DFL). The election results were determined in the second ranked-choice voting round, with Her receiving fewer than 2,000 votes more than her opponent.
“My family came here as refugees,” Her said during her victory speech on Tuesday evening. “Never in their wildest dreams would I be standing here today accepting the position of mayor. I want to thank Mayor Melvin Carter for his many years of service to our city. I started my political career working for him, and I will always be grateful for that opportunity.”
On the state House floor in June, Her, who was born in Laos, made a startling confession while advocating for public health care for illegal immigrants. She claimed that her father, who worked at the U.S. consulate, brought her family to America by falsifying immigration paperwork.
Her’s uncle had worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development and, because of that work, was immediately eligible to come to the U.S. at the end of the Vietnam War, she stated at the time.
Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter. Photo by Christopher Mark Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images
Her’s immediate family did not qualify for the same expedited process. However, Her’s father claimed on federal documents that Her’s maternal grandmother was his mother to circumvent their ineligibility, she explained to state lawmakers.
“My father, as the one processing the paperwork, put my grandmother down as his mother,” Her stated.
RELATED: Minneapolis mayoral race enters second round of ranked-choice vote counting
Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images
“And so, I am illegal in this country,” she continued. “My parents are illegal here in this country.”
It was later revealed that Her’s “uncle” was actually not a familial relative but a family friend. She claimed that her family would have been eligible to come to the U.S. anyway and that the falsified records only sped up the process.
Since immigrating to the U.S., Her has become a U.S. citizen.
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JD Vance offers calm election reflection, warns against ‘idiotic’ overreaction to Dem winning streak
Vice President JD Vance is cutting through the noise and reminding Republicans not to overreact to the Democrats’ latest winning streak in local and state elections.
To onlookers, it might seem like Democrats have regained their footing. New York City elected its first openly socialist mayor, California is poised to redistrict the state in a manner that gives Democrats an even greater electoral advantage, and fantasizing about murdering political opponents no longer disqualifies a person from holding the highest law enforcement office in Virginia. In short, Democrats won every election they were hoping to win on November 4.
‘The infighting is so stupid.’
In the wake of these electoral losses, Vance gave Republican voters a reality check.
“I think it’s idiotic to overreact to a couple of elections in blue states, but a few thoughts,” Vance said in a Wednesday post on X.
RELATED: Progressive wins VA race despite admitted indifference to ‘sexually explicit material’ in schools
Photo by ADAM GRAY/AFP via Getty Images
Vance noted that one of Republicans’ challenges is voter enthusiasm. Voter turnout has historically been difficult for local elections, even more so among Republicans. Because of this, Vance emphasized the importance of energizing the base and engaging voters in future elections.
“[Scott] Pressler, TPUSA, and a bunch of others have been working hard to register voters,” Vance said. “I said it in 2022, and I’ve said it repeatedly since: our coalition is ‘low propensity’ and that means we have to do better at turning out voters than we have in the past.”
Affordability was at the forefront of all successful campaigns this cycle. As Vance noted, cost of living will be a defining issue for all future elections, and it’s one Republicans need to stay focused on both on the campaign trail and in office.
“We need to focus on the home front,” Vance said. “The president has done a lot that has already paid off in lower interest rates and lower inflation, but we inherited a disaster from Joe Biden and Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
RELATED: Zohran Mamdani becomes first openly socialist mayor of New York City
Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images
“We’re going to keep on working to make a decent life affordable in this country, and that’s the metric by which we’ll ultimately be judged in 2026 and beyond.”
Above all, Vance encouraged the MAGA movement to tune out distracting “infighting” and focus on the movement.
“The infighting is so stupid,” Vance said. “I care about my fellow citizens — particularly young Americans — being able to afford a decent life, I care about immigration and sovereignty, and I care about establishing peace overseas so our resources can be focused at home.”
“If you care about those things too, let’s work together.”
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How a Walmart employee helped rescue a woman who said her boyfriend strangled her multiple times that day
Nebraska law enforcement officers said a 47-year-old woman early last week informed them that her 31-year-old boyfriend had strangled her five to six times that day and had been preventing her from contacting authorities and leaving his presence.
It turns out the alleged victim was able to finally get the attention of police — with the help of a Walmart employee.
Barnhouse didn’t let her leave for the previous two days, as she was trying to get her belongings from the camper and return home to Kansas, officials added.
Gage County Sheriff’s deputies around 5:45 p.m. Oct. 28 responded to the Diamond T Truck Stop Camper Row on US HWY 77 just north of Beatrice for an assault that had occurred earlier in the day, the sheriff’s office said.
Image source: Gage County (Neb.) Sheriff’s Office
Upon arrival, deputies made contact with the 47-year-old woman from Hutchinson, Kansas, who told deputies that her boyfriend — 31-year-old Justis Barnhouse — had strangled her five to six times that afternoon, officials said.
Barnhouse took the woman’s cell phone so she couldn’t contact police about the incident, officials said. Barnhouse didn’t let her leave for the previous two days, as she was trying to get her belongings from the camper and return home to Kansas, officials added.
However, officials said that when the woman and Barnhouse went to the Walmart in Beatrice, she got the attention of a Walmart employee and asked the worker to follow her to the restroom.
The sheriff’s office said that allowed the woman to give the employee details about the strangulation — and the employee notified law enforcement.
When deputies arrived at the Diamond T Truck Stop Camper Row, officials said Barnhouse was there — and deputies arrested Barnhouse for assault by strangulation as well as third-degree domestic assault with two priors.
Barnhouse was lodged at the Gage County Detention Center on his charges, officials said. Jail records indicate Barnhouse was still behind bars Wednesday morning.
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Clothing should be fun
I do a lot of things for work. I take photos, I take videos, I write stories, I write columns, I write about style, and I write about life.
I also help guys dress better. Officially it’s called style advising, but down to brass tacks, it means me helping guys get clothes they are happy with. Helping them get rid of the junk that sits in their closet that they never wear and get into clothes that make them look, and feel, their best.
Exercising creative control in the physical space feels good in a way that’s deeper than exercising the same kind of creativity in the digital space.
It’s one of the most rewarding things I do. I know lots of guys dismiss the importance of clothes, but they do so at their peril. Our clothes really do have a huge impact on our psychological state. They can make us pretty unhappy or pretty happy.
Ready to wear
Does that make us “superficial”? No. It’s an acknowledgment of the fact that what we wear represents who we are to others —and to ourselves. If you aren’t happy with how you present yourself, you aren’t going to be happy with yourself. It’s that simple.
So I take personal satisfaction from watching a guy transform his wardrobe over the course of a year or two. What’s particularly satisfying is observing how his attitude toward clothing changes as he overhauls his closet.
The process usually starts with a pragmatic interest in not looking like a slob. Achieving a baseline presentability eliminates any negative attention slovenly dress attracts. From that point he may start to notice that looking a little more “put together” actually attracts positive attention. And once he starts to experience the fruits of dressing decently in public, he’s ready to start enjoying his clothes.
This means he’s comfortable and confident enough that he no longer sees dressing himself as a test to get “right,” but as an opportunity for personal expression and creativity. Clothes finally become what they’re meant to be: fun.
Or as a client deep into his own wardrobe revamp recently told me, “I’m just blown away by how fun this stuff can get.”
What a difference in attitude and mindset. A realization like that is generally a sign that a certain kind of psychological transformation has been completed.
RELATED: Corduroys: The perfect winter trousers
Making the man
I’m aware that the word “fun” may connote something shallow or frivolous — and in some respects clothing can be both. But the pleasure we derive from clothing also derives from its deeper meaning: the way it reinforces the eternal forms of man and woman, emphasizes our dignity as human beings made in the image of God, and reflects our culture, values, and even religious beliefs.
Remember the pastel cars of the 1950s? It’s hard to believe it, but there was a time when when cars weren’t only black, gray, or white. There was a time when cars were fun. Well, it’s the same thing with clothes. If you really look at the stuff the guys were wearing back in those old movies, they were actually having much more fun than the guy who wears dark jeans, a black T-shirt, and a gray hoodie in 2025. Coming to the final realization that clothes should be fun is actually a kind of returning to tradition.
Creative control
The thoughtfully designed, personal interior of your home feels more welcoming than an airport terminal. A carefully cultivated garden is more beautiful than an expanse of artificial turf. And a well-fitting and harmonious combination of shirt, jacket, and trousers is more flattering than a prison-like monochrome sweatsuit.
There’s also a peculiar psychological benefit to embracing clothes as a domain of fun. Exercising creative control in the physical space feels good in a way that’s deeper than exercising the same kind of creativity it in the digital space.
In our screen-dominant era, the experience of joyfully controlling your personal environment is humanizing and refreshing. It’s good to like how you look and know that you are the one responsible for it. It feels like we are actually doing something rather than just moving pixels around.
Of course, it goes without saying that not all fun is good fun. We know that’s true about all sorts of stuff in life. Many a bad decision sure was fun at the time. So it goes with the temporary thrill of donning stupid neon graphic T-shirts, grotesque Crocs, alien-green sweatpants printed with pizza motifs.
Many men today begin their style journey as overgrown children who have enjoyed this “bad” kind of fun for most of their lives: the dumb T-shirts and the stupid shoes. But then they decide to grow up, and after working through their wardrobe, they come to understand that these classic clothes are not just good for the soul or society. They are fun, and they are the right kind of fun, the kind of fun that edifies and enriches us.
